Hello there, just a quickie to let you know that I'm having lots of fun staying with Jo (my first cousin once removed) in Melbourne. I can't type much because my arms are a bit achy due to the huge amount of yoga i've been doing. I'm fully converted to Bikram yoga which takes place in 37 degrees or higher and the sweat just pours off you-it's awesome. I've done the 90 minute class for four days running now although today was the hardest...I hope i can keep it up because under the special introductory offer I had to pay for the first class and then got the next nine days free. Woohoo! There are quite a few classes a day so I really have no excuse.

Today was a really cool (good cool not cold cool as it was pretty hot) day - I went to yoga this morning and then had a lovely lunch with Jo, Ann (her sister) and Ann's sister in law before going to St Kilda. I was really looking forward to going to St Kilda as I've been missing the sea. We got on the tram (a lovely old one) from Richmond which took us all the way to the beach. It was a gorgeous sunny day with a warm breeze and we walked along the beach (paddling) and then along the pier where we bought ice creams.

It was amazing to see a city so close to the sea and at the same time being somewhere that was so very peaceful. There are penguins on the end of the pier and although most of their colony has been fenced off, I saw there was lots of penguin poo on the rocks and thought, umm I wonder if there are any chicks down there? I walked down the rocks and using my penguin nest spotting skills began searching. I checked all the little holes around the poo but couldn't see anything, but then just as I turned round, I saw a penguin right in front of me sitting very still under the rock. It was so cool, at the front I could see its head and at the back of the rock I could see its foot.

I then searched for more penguins but my penguin-honing-ability seemed to have deserted me. Then a guy who was sitting nearby (and who obviously spends a lot of time sitting there, if his tan is anything to go by) showed us where another one was. This time we had a full view of the penguin which was quietly resting under a bush. It was really great to see them and Jo and I were all full of penguin-induced smiles.

After that I went for a swim in the sea to cool off. It was my first proper swim in the sea since i got to Oz and I'd forgotten how much I love it and how different it is. I wonder if my body knows that the salty water vapour is good for me? Maybe that's why I like it so much. And the same with yoga.